High 6 HotSchedules alternate options and opponents in 2023

Working a profitable enterprise within the hospitality trade could be a juggling act, particularly in the case of managing your workforce. Because of this, you’ve doubtless come throughout HotSchedules, powered by Fourth, which is a scheduling software program that’s been the trusted sidekick of the lodge trade for over 20 years. However it has its personal set of drawbacks, like minimal customization choices and poor consumer expertise on cell.

You might wish to contemplate some HotSchedules alternate options that provide the identical options however have extra superior customization potentialities and even a free plan. On this article, we’ll have a look at high HotSchedules alternate options together with their options, pricing, professionals and cons, and consumer scores. We’ve gathered insights from actual customers identical to you, so you can also make an knowledgeable determination and discover the proper resolution to your small hospitality enterprise. 

Within the spirit of transparency, the knowledge on this piece is predicated on our analysis on HotSchedules alternate options. All consumer suggestions referenced within the textual content has been sourced from unbiased software program evaluate platforms, corresponding to G2 and Capterra, in Could 2023.

What’s HotSchedules and what’s it used for?

HotSchedules, powered by Fourth, is an worker scheduling software program resolution designed to make life simpler for companies within the hospitality trade. It caters to a variety of eating places, motels, bars, and occasional retailers, serving to homeowners and managers arrange timetables, talk with workers, and keep on high of workforce administration.

It provides customers the facility to create schedules, assign shifts, and preserve workforce members within the loop with updates and notifications. Its cell app additionally permits workers to simply entry their timetables, swap shifts, and request time without work with none pointless forwards and backwards.

HotSchedules is good for companies with shifting wants, a number of places, and a roster of hourly staff. It helps guarantee correct shift protection, reduces scheduling conflicts, and improves general workforce communication and collaboration.

Why would possibly you select a HotSchedules different?

When you’re exploring HotSchedules as a possible resolution to your small hospitality enterprise or already use it however are in two minds concerning the determination, contemplate why an alternate would possibly work higher for you beneath:

You want extra customizations and automations

Whereas the simplicity of HotSchedules works for some small companies, others might get pissed off with its lack of customization choices. As a enterprise proprietor, you need a scheduling app that may adapt to your distinctive wants and workflows and in addition can help you automate processes to match your particular necessities. For instance, should you run a restaurant that requires extra folks through the summer season season, your app of alternative ought to allow you to effortlessly onboard new hires as needed.

You’re in search of most options for probably the most inexpensive charges

Affordability issues for small companies, so it might be value in search of a scheduling resolution that gives a variety of options with out breaking the financial institution. Whereas HotSchedules has a primary price ticket of $40 a month, while you discover its alternate options, you’ll see that there are different platforms that provide superior worth by way of options and use circumstances at the same (or decrease) value. 

You need superior options to gas your small business development

Fundamental scheduling options may go for some companies, however they might not be sufficient in case your workforce is advanced, cell, or increasing rapidly. Many HotSchedules opponents — like Homebase — transcend the fundamentals and supply superior scheduling instruments at an accessible value level, like:

• Customized time beyond regulation and break preferences
• Day without work and availability administration
• Shift swap capabilities
• Self-scheduling options, like the flexibility to assert open shifts
• Actual-time worker reminders and notifications
• Different built-in instruments like time monitoring, timesheets, and full-service payroll

You favor a simple and intuitive design

Customers complain that HotSchedules has a slow-loading web site and gives a poor consumer expertise on cell. That could be a problem should you’re a small enterprise proprietor within the hospitality trade who’s all the time on the go and desires to make use of their app of alternative rapidly and simply to examine all of your workers have signed into work or tackle a payroll concern. 

If that’s your case, it might be perfect to change to a HotSchedule different that doesn’t trigger you issues, however saves you time with a clear, simple design and useful, user-friendly options.

Key options to search for in a HotSchedules different

• All-in-one resolution: As an alternative of utilizing plenty of completely different instruments, which may result in overwhelm, inefficiency, and misplaced info, search for an app that gives a complete suite of instruments for scheduling, time monitoring, worker communication, and payroll.
  
• Free plan and affordability: Take into account HotSchedules alternate options that provide a free plan or inexpensive pricing choices that don’t go away an excessive amount of of a dent in your small enterprise’s price range. This can can help you take a look at out the platform and contemplate how nicely it fits you earlier than you make investments lots of money and time.
• Number of integrations: Guarantee the choice you’re exploring integrates seamlessly with different platforms you already use — or would possibly prefer to check out — to handle your small enterprise, like POS programs and payroll software program. This can eradicate the trouble of repetitive information entry and scale back errors.
• Day without work administration: Select an alternate that simplifies time without work administration, permitting workers to rapidly request and observe their trip days, sick go away, and different absences. The very last thing you need is to should manually preserve observe of who’s on go away and when, inflicting confusion and delays.
• Cell app: It’s a good suggestion to search for HotSchedules opponents that provide cell apps which can be suitable with varied gadgets. That manner, each you and your workers will be capable to entry schedules, alternate messages, and observe time conveniently out of your telephones.
• Reporting and analytics: Take into account platforms that offer you granular information that make it easier to make smarter, extra data-driven choices in relation to labor prices and gross sales and climate forecasting.

High 6 HotSchedules alternate options

Whether or not you’re in cost of a big retail retailer or personal a small restaurant by the ocean, your scheduling software program ought to be capable to deal with all of the challenges you throw at it. 

We’ve shortlisted six high HotSchedules opponents and damaged down their options, pricing, and use circumstances to make selecting one simpler:

1. Homebase: Finest all-in-one resolution
2. 7shifts: Finest for restaurant scheduling
3. Once I Work: Finest for a number of enterprise places
4. ADP Workforce Now: Finest for rapidly-growing companies 
5. Connecteam: Finest for coaching and onboarding
6. QuickBooks Time: Finest for QuickBooks customers

1. Homebase: Finest all-in-one resolution

As a game-changing, all-in-one platform, Homebase is revolutionizing small enterprise administration with its beginner-friendly instruments for time monitoring, scheduling, and hiring. Our built-in worker messaging app additionally helps preserve groups related by means of group messaging, making it straightforward to collaborate with workers and resolve points rapidly. 

That’s not all — Homebase additionally empowers customers with built-in, full-service payroll, so paying workforce members is all the time a easy, streamlined course of.

All in all, Homebase was designed with small companies in thoughts and caters to their commonest wants. It’s an particularly excellent HotSchedule different for eating places, motels, and retail shops. 

Time clock and timesheets

Homebase takes worker time monitoring to the subsequent stage with its highly effective time clock and timesheet instruments. Workers can signal into our platform with the Homebase cell app and conveniently punch out and in of shifts, even throughout peak hours.

Homebase will then robotically convert worker hours into detailed and error-free timesheets, eliminating boring, time-consuming handbook work. It’s also possible to activate geofencing to stop early signal ins and ensure workers are the place they are saying they’re once they clock into work. Plus, with Homebase, you possibly can effortlessly preserve tabs on power lateness and labor price creep with late check in notifications and alerts for when workers strategy time beyond regulation.

Think about busy servers swiftly clocking out and in of their shifts utilizing their smartphones whereas managers use their logbooks for exact payroll calculations and shift administration — Homebase can match proper into the way in which you do enterprise and make your restaurant operations a breeze.

Scheduling

Scheduling with Homebase is easy — you possibly can effortlessly acquire worker availability, create and customise timetables, assign shifts, and ship updates to workforce members. Our easy-to-navigate design additionally makes it easy for workers to handle their very own shift swaps and time without work requests.

However our true stroke of automation genius lies within the scheduling templates and auto-population options. When you’ve obtained a stable schedule that works to your workforce, it can save you it and use it to auto-populate future timetables robotically. It’s also possible to rework Homebase schedules into templates so you possibly can choose completely different choices relying on the circumstances. For example, you may need seasonal templates for the quieter seasons and the busier seasons.

Payroll

Small enterprise homeowners know work smarter — that’s why they like all-in-one options. When you can keep organized and save time by avoiding navigating between completely different instruments and apps all day, why wouldn’t you?

Though it’s not a part of the free plan, Homebase gives a full-service payroll software that provides small companies every little thing they should pay their workforce and their taxes with one login. Onboard workers, create schedules, observe hours and PTO, and sync all of it with payroll with a few clicks.

Placing every little thing underneath one roof typically means fewer complications on payday. However what if you have already got a payroll system in place that you simply love? No worries, Homebase may also combine with well-liked accounting programs like ADP and Gusto.

Pricing

Homebase has a value-packed free plan, so you possibly can entry primary time monitoring, scheduling, and worker administration instruments free of charge for as much as 20 workers at a single enterprise location. 

Our paid plans have a per-location pricing construction, which implies your subscription price will stay the identical even while you rent extra folks. The choices embody:

• Necessities: Get pleasure from superior time monitoring and scheduling, workforce communication, and efficiency monitoring for $24.95 per 30 days.
• Plus: Improve your expertise with hiring instruments, retention monitoring, time without work controls, and division and permissions for $59.95 per 30 days.
  
• All-in-one: Unlock the total potential of Homebase’s complete suite of instruments, together with HR and compliance, new rent onboarding, labor price controls, and enterprise insights, all for $99.95 per 30 days.

Consumer ranking

Homebase has a excessive consumer ranking on a few of the high evaluate websites. With a mean rating of 4.6 out of 5 based mostly on 925 evaluations on Capterra and 4.1 out of 5 based mostly on 105 evaluations on G2, Homebase prospects are definitely proud of our platform.

2. 7shifts: Finest for restaurant scheduling

7shifts is a helpful resolution for restaurant scheduling. Its complete set of instruments is designed to streamline the whole scheduling course of, guaranteeing restaurant homeowners and managers run into minimal issues with worker timetables and function their companies easily.

With its user-friendly cell app, 7shifts handles every little thing from shift administration to labor compliance and not using a glitch. It additionally integrates with a number of POS programs and ensures environment friendly labor administration that will help you meet your targets.

Predominant options

• Scheduling: A drag-and-drop schedule builder makes scheduling quicker and robotically considers components like availability, time without work, and time beyond regulation. It could actually additionally create and implement worker timetables throughout a number of enterprise places.
• Communication: Constructed-in communication instruments scale back calls and preserve the entire workforce related and knowledgeable.
  
• Accessibility: The cell app allows workers to view shifts and request shift swaps and time without work simply.
  
• Payroll: Seamlessly integrates with POS and payroll programs for excellent effectivity and decreased labor prices.
  
• Worker engagement: Goals to enhance workers engagement by rating probably the most and least engaged workers.

Professionals and cons

7shifts is nice in the case of scheduling. Customers admire the system’s effectivity in creating timetables and monitoring worker availability and notice that it has helpful communication options. In addition they take pleasure in how seamlessly it integrates with POS and payroll programs. 

Nonetheless, it’s value noting that some customers have reported occasional technical difficulties, significantly with logins, inputs, and notifications. It’s additionally value contemplating the restricted flexibility by way of modifying and printing detailed stories. Lastly, some contemplate the pricing of the premium plans to be excessive.

Pricing

7shifts comes with 4 completely different plans which can be obtainable with per-location pricing:  

• Comp is a free plan obtainable for as much as 30 workers. It supplies all the essential scheduling, time monitoring, and communication instruments.
  
• Entrée prices $34.99/month for as much as 30 workers and supplies labor price optimization and efficiency monitoring.
  
• The Works prices $76.99/month for limitless workers and contains communication options to effortlessly handle, interact, and retain workforce members
  
• Connoisseur prices $150/month for limitless workers and has superior customization and devoted assist.

Every of those plans comes with a free 14-day trial. 

Consumer ranking

7shifts has a mean ranking of 4.7 based mostly on 1121 evaluations on Capterra and a rating of 4.5 based mostly on 92 evaluations on G2. 

3. Once I Work: Finest for a number of enterprise places

With regards to scheduling, time monitoring, and staying related with hourly workers, Once I Work is a good possibility. Its free iOS and Android apps additionally imply your workforce members can preserve their schedules and time monitoring gadgets proper of their pockets always.

The platform makes managing time without work, monitoring availability, and dealing with shift swaps straightforward. And with a number of payroll integrations to select from, you possibly can join with a third-party app to make payroll fast, seamless, and error-free.

Predominant options

• Time monitoring: Exactly information worker hours and timesheets and integrates with payroll.
  
• Scheduling: Information workers breaks for scheduling functions and supplies real-time worker availability for environment friendly work assignments.
  
• Geotechnology: Geofences limit workforce members to designated worksites, monitor worker places to stop time theft and buddy punching, and guarantee accuracy with facial recognition and picture seize.
• Labor compliance: Sends alerts based mostly on relevant compliance laws and generates labor stories for a deeper understanding of how your small business features and the place you should make adjustments.

Professionals and cons

Customers admire Once I Work’s user-friendly interface and interactive design because the free cell app permits workers to clock out and in of labor in a flash utilizing any gadget.

The platform additionally gives inexpensive pricing with none extra per-location prices. You possibly can simply arrange schedules for various areas, places, departments, and groups. It additionally helps cross-scheduling, making it excellent for companies with a number of places.

Sadly, Once I Work doesn’t include a free model. Moreover, some customers have reported points with bugs, inaccurate GPS coordinates, and restricted monitoring capabilities.

Pricing

In contrast to Homebase, Once I Work doesn’t have a free plan, however it does supply a 14-day free trial. In any other case, there are two paid plans obtainable:

1. Customary for $2.50/month, which consists of time monitoring and commonplace scheduling instruments.
   
2. Superior for $6/month, which consists of extra highly effective scheduling instruments and labor stories and permissions.

You possibly can entry the geotechnology instruments by including the Time and Attendance function to any of the plans. That bumps the costs to $4/month and $8/month, respectively.

Consumer ranking

Once I Work has a mean ranking of 4.5 based mostly on 1021 evaluations on Capterra and a rating of 4.4 based mostly on 273 evaluations on G2. 

4. ADP Workforce Now: Finest for rapidly-growing companies

When you run a quickly rising small enterprise, ADP Workforce Now is likely to be a sensible choice for you. From managing your workforce and payroll to dealing with advantages and hiring, this suite of human sources instruments helps make inside operations simple and seamless.

ADP Workforce Now takes care of all of the finer particulars and leaves you with extra time to give attention to rising your small business. And as your small business expands, the platform can simply meet all of your evolving wants.

Predominant options

• Automated scheduling: Create, handle, and optimize worker schedules and get real-time visibility into staffing ranges.
  
• Payroll: Course of payroll precisely, evaluate and proper errors, calculate taxes, and handle workers throughout completely different jurisdictions and borders.
• Human sources: Retailer paperwork on-line and automate key processes like onboarding and worker recognition and reward.
  
• Time monitoring and attendance: Automate timekeeping, observe attendance, and create schedules effortlessly.
  
• Expertise administration: Simplify hiring, efficiency administration, compensation, and studying. Additionally, entice high expertise and run efficiency evaluations.

Professionals and cons

ADP Workforce Now stands out due to its suite of instruments, which implies perfect information synchronization and streamlined administrative work. Plus, the platform can simply combine with different HR and enterprise apps with the ADP Market.

Customers on Capterra vastly admire ADP Workforce Now’s user-friendly interface and intensive customization choices. Moreover, its payroll processing function, together with time and attendance monitoring, tax submitting, and direct deposit selections, has obtained excessive reward.

On the draw back, some customers discover the software program resolution difficult to navigate at first, requiring some coaching time to make full use of its options and functionalities. Different widespread complaints embody subpar customer support and expensive paid plans, making the platform much less perfect for small companies with restricted budgets.

Pricing

ADP Workforce Now takes a personalised strategy to pricing. It doesn’t publish its costs on the web site, so that you’ll want to attach with a gross sales consultant for extra info.

Customers have talked about that pricing can begin from $62 per 30 days, however take into account that the common enterprise tends to spend greater than that. 

Consumer ranking

Serving greater than 90,000 shoppers, ADP Workforce Now is without doubt one of the extra well-known human sources options in the marketplace. It has a mean ranking of 4.4 based mostly on 6277 evaluations on Capterra and a rating of 4.1 based mostly on 3286 evaluations on G2.

5. Connecteam: Finest for coaching and onboarding

When you like having an entire workforce administration toolbox at your fingertips, Connecteam is an efficient wager. With its wide selection of scheduling, time monitoring, and communication instruments, it may make it easier to preserve your total workforce in sync. 

In addition to managing a number of schedules and timesheets, Connecteam additionally has useful options like geotechnology, built-in coaching programs, certification monitoring, shift checklists, and payroll integrations.

Predominant options

• Time monitoring: Observe worker hours throughout a number of enterprise places and job websites and revel in automated timesheets that simplify payroll processing.
  
• Scheduling: Activity allocation and supervision for environment friendly work assignments.
  
• Geotechnology: Control workers utilizing real-time GPS, designate boundaries, and use facial recognition to stop buddy punching.
  
• Communication: Get in contact with people or your total workforce with just some clicks.

Professionals and cons

Connecteam is well-regarded for its user-friendly design, compatibility with varied gadgets, and geotechnology instruments. Some customers have additionally identified how the platform constantly releases new options.

Connecteam additionally stands out due to its workers coaching and onboarding capabilities. From environment friendly onboarding and coaching to useful shift-based checklists and workers notifications, Connecteam is an efficient alternative should you’re in a high-turnover trade like retail or hospitality.

Nonetheless, one side of Connecteam that receives some criticism is the pricing. Probably the most superior options are solely obtainable with the costlier plans, which could be a problem for small companies. Moreover, the free plan is proscribed to only ten customers. 

Pricing

Connecteam comes with a 14-day trial and categorizes its pricing into completely different packages:

1. Small Enterprise for as much as ten customers, which supplies the essential administration instruments free of charge.
   
2. Fundamental for $29/month and $0.50/month per extra consumer, which has payroll software program integration and shift administration.
   
3. Superior for $49/month and $1.50/month per extra consumer, which incorporates geotechnology instruments and schedule templates.
   
4. Knowledgeable for $99/month and $3/month per extra consumer, which comes with all of the options, together with course of automation and multi-location administration.

The month-to-month pricing quotes for the Fundamental, Superior, and Knowledgeable plans apply to the primary 30 customers. After that, you’ll should pay extra costs should you add extra.

The payroll function is built-in into all of the plans.

Consumer ranking

Connecteam has a mean ranking of 4.8 based mostly on 273 evaluations on Capterra and a rating of 4.3 based mostly on 39 evaluations on G2. 

With regards to worker scheduling software program, QuickBooks Time is the go-to alternative for companies which can be already utilizing QuickBooks or QuickBooks On-line. Whereas it might be costlier for companies with bigger groups, the combination with QuickBooks’ accounting and payroll options can present priceless time-saving advantages. 

With job assignments, shift scheduling, time without work monitoring, and real-time labor price stories, QuickBooks Time plans supply a complete suite of workforce administration instruments. Plus, they assist a number of time monitoring choices, together with app and dashboard clocks, in addition to kiosk clocks with facial recognition.

Predominant options

• Time monitoring: Managers can clock the whole workforce out and in of labor.
  
• Scheduling: Construct schedules based mostly on particular shifts or positions utilizing drag-and-drop instruments.
  
• Day without work administration: Examine time without work balances, request trip, and obtain notifications for approvals.
  
• Accessibility: A number of platforms — like cell, internet, and kiosk — for workers to clock out and in of their shifts.
  
• Geotechnology: Monitor workforce places throughout work and automate GPS mileage monitoring for timesheets and payroll stories.

Professionals and cons

Apart from how seamlessly it matches into the QuickBooks ecosystem, QuickBooks Time is extensively well-liked for its intuitive and easy-to-use design. Navigating the app and accessing key options is painless for each workers and managers.

Customers have additionally praised the platform’s vary of instruments for time monitoring and scheduling, together with shift alerts, real-time workers statuses, and labor price stories.

Nonetheless, QuickBooks Time’s costly plans could be a draw back and go away some prospects feeling inconvenienced. Moreover, occasional syncing points and an absence of superior reporting choices have been areas of concern for some customers.

Pricing

QuickBooks Time has two paid plan choices:

• Premium for $20/month plus $8/consumer
  
• Elite for $40/month plus $10/consumer

Consumer ranking

QuickBooks Time scores 4.7 based mostly on 6354 evaluations on Capterra and 4.5 based mostly on 1417 evaluations on G2.

H for HotSchedules? No, H for Homebase!

Though HotSchedules has been a giant participant within the hospitality scheduling trade for 20 years, it merely doesn’t deal with the newcomers in the marketplace.

So, if HotSchedules doesn’t meet your small enterprise’s wants, discuss with our curated listing above and discover a higher possibility.

If you wish to optimize the way in which you handle your small business with out burning a gap in your pocket, Homebase is your most trusted ally. Our platform comprises a complete vary of options, masking every little thing from scheduling to time monitoring to workforce communication. It additionally has a built-in payroll software and a variety of integrations, ensures compliance with labor legal guidelines, and manages labor prices.

However the icing on the cake is Homebase’s pricing, which ranges between free and $100 per enterprise location per 30 days. Which means companies with as much as 20 workers can take pleasure in our primary options without charge and improve once they’re prepared, and never a second sooner.

All in all, Homebase is keen about empowering small companies and serving to them attain new ranges of success, and we’d like to companion with you subsequent.